by Michael Krieger
October 23,
2017
from
LibertyBlitzkrieg Website
The forces of decentralization
are rising,
but entrenched centralized
institutions
and the bureaucrats running
them
will become increasingly
terrified, panicked
and oppressive...
Some of you may be confused as to why a U.S. citizen living in
Colorado has become so completely obsessed with what's going on in
Spain.
Bear with me, there's a
method to my madness.
I believe what's currently happening in Spain represents a crucial
microcosm for what we'll see sweep across the entire
planet over the next ten years.
Some of you will want to
have a discussion about who's right and who's wrong in this
particular affair, but that's besides the point.
It doesn't matter which
side you favor, what matters is that Madrid/Catalonia is an example
of the forces of centralization will argue at length with forces of
decentralization.
Madrid represents the nation-state as we know it, with its leaders
claiming Spain is forever indivisible according to the
constitution.
Madrid has essentially
proclaimed there's no possible avenue to independence from a
centralized Spain even if various regions decide in large number
they wish to be independent.
This sort of attitude
will be seen as unacceptable and primitive by increasingly large
numbers of humans in the years ahead.
Catalonia should be seen
as a canary in the coal mine. The forces of decentralization are
rising, but entrenched centralized institutions and the bureaucrats
running them will become increasingly terrified, panicked and
oppressive.
As I've discussed, this isn't coming out of nowhere. Humanity's
current established centralized institutions and nation-states have
become clownishly corrupt, merely existing to protect and enrich the
powerful/connected as opposed to benefiting the population at large.
As such, legitimacy has
been shattered and people have begun to demand a new way.
Whether we see this with
the rising popularity of Bitcoin, or the UK decision to leave the
EU, evidence is everywhere and we've already passed the point of no
return. This is precisely why EU leaders are rallying around Madrid.
They're scared to death and fear they might be next.
They're probably right...
Before we continue, I want to revisit something I pointed out in
last week's post,
Surprisingly, I'm Quite Optimistic About the
Future:
Unfortunately, I
don't think we'll see sufficient change in this regard without
hardship.
This hardship is
likely to occur as the old paradigm becomes more authoritarian
and paranoid as it lashes out in an attempt to solidify and
expand control.
Of course, we're
already seeing this all around us, but it's likely to get even
worse in the years ahead. Don't be afraid of it, understand that
it's coming and accept that this is all part of the change
process.
Did you really think
control-freak authoritarians would give up without a fight?
If you want to see how a
control-freak authoritarian responds to a situation, just look at
how Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy (above image) has responded to
Catalonia.
People like him simply
can't help themselves, it's in their nature and all they know is the
fist of violence. As I noted in last week's post on the topic, those
in favor of Catalan independence have thus far played the situation
flawlessly.
For this to turn out
positively for the forces of decentralization, the Spanish
authorities must be encouraged to act increasingly thuggish, which
will in turn bolster more and more popular support for independence.
This has already started to happen, and will likely accelerate in
the weeks ahead as Rajoy is about to make the biggest mistake
of all by activating
Article 155.
It's really important to understand how irresponsibly aggressive
Madrid is about to become before moving on.
Here's some background
courtesy of Bloomberg:
Rajoy on Saturday
shocked many observers with plans to clear out the entire
separatist administration in Barcelona and take control of key
institutions including public media and the regional police
force, the Mossos d'Esquadra.
Spain's chief
prosecutor said that if Puigdemont declares independence he
would face as much as 30 years in jail and signaled that he
could be arrested immediately.
"Catalan
government officials and many within the Mossos and Catalan
media are not just going to stand down without a fight,"
said Caroline Gray, a lecturer in politics and Spanish at
Aston University in the U.K. who specializes in nationalist
movements.
"The big question
for me, really, is how Madrid is actually going to implement
its proposed actions in Catalonia."
Rajoy is wielding the
untested powers of Article 155 of Spain's 1978 Constitution to
try to impose central government control on Catalonia.
The aim ultimately is
to trigger regional elections within six months.
Madrid is making a
mistake of enormous historical significance here.
-
First, you don't
need to be a genius to see that him forcibly taking over
control over key aspects of Catalan civil society will only
make the independence movement grow in strength, passion and
numbers.
-
Second, does
Rajoy really think he's going to be able to make this happen
without enormous amounts of civil unrest? Not a chance...
Here's some of what's
already being planned, according to Bloomberg:
Catalan separatists
are mobilizing a human shield to block efforts by the Spanish
authorities to take control of the breakaway region as both
sides prepare to escalate the political conflict.
Groups will concentrate their activists around the regional
government's headquarters in Barcelona's Gothic quarter and the
nearby parliament building, according to two people familiar
with the plans, asking not to be identified by name.
They expect Spanish
police to use force to try to shut down the administration and
will put their bodies on the line, said one person.
"We are calling
for a peaceful and democratic defense of the institutions,"
Lluis Corominas, the leader of the main separatist group in
the Catalan Parliament, said at a press conference in
Barcelona. Regional President Carles Puigdemont has called
for similar action.
The separatists have
shown they can rally support. A crowd estimated by local police
at around 450,000 joined him to protest in central Barcelona
after Rajoy announced his plans.
CUP, a pro-secessionist party,
on Monday called for mass civil disobedience in Catalonia, Ara
newspaper reported.
The keys dates this week
will be on Thursday and Friday.
In my opinion, it would
be a big mistake for the Catalan government to declare independence
at this stage.
Madrid needs to continue
to be seen as the unreasonable aggressor, which is what will happen
if article 155 is activated Friday.
For Catalonia to succeed,
the public must become even more outraged than it already is. Any
attempt by Madrid at taking over Catalan civil society by force will
achieve this in spades.
If I'm correct in my forecast, the entire world will be looking at
similar forces of decentralization battling it out with discredited,
entrenched centralized power structures over the next decade or so.
I think this will result
in virtually all of our current institutions collapsing and being
replaced by a completely different paradigm.
In my view, the new
paradigm will be increasingly defined by decentralized
structures.
Terms like,
-
"peer-to-peer"
-
"distributed"
-
"direct
democracy",
...will become
increasingly ubiquitous as we begin to lay down the foundations for
a far less top-down, centralized and authoritarian approach to human
affairs.
This isn't to say the process will be easy or smooth, but that's
where I think all of this is headed.
The struggle between
Madrid and Catalonia represents a high-profile and early example of
this struggle and those of us who wish for a more
decentralized world need to pay very close attention since
many lessons can be learned from this historic crisis.
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